World · Middle East · 2 hrs ago
Mihrac Ural arrested in Syria while trying to cross a border
Syrian authorities arrested Mihrac Ural, also known as Ali Kayali, while he was trying to cross a border.
The arrest was reported by Syria’s state news agency; a Turkish agency said it followed a joint operation by Turkish and Syrian intelligence.
Ural is accused of involvement in two 2013 attacks: the Reyhanlı bombings in Turkey and killings of civilians in Baniyas and nearby Bayda in Syria.
The Reyhanlı bombing killed 53 people, according to Turkish authorities, while the BBC account says 52.
Ural has denied responsibility for the Reyhanlı attack and rejected allegations that his group killed civilians in Syria.
The accusations stem from the conflict under Bashar al-Assad, when Ural led an armed group loyal to the Syrian president.
His arrest follows years of efforts to capture suspects in the Reyhanlı bombing, with several others previously taken to Turkey.
The reports do not say what will happen to Ural next.
Syrian authorities arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, as he tried to cross a border, according to state media.
Ural is accused of involvement in the 2013 killings of civilians in Baniyas and nearby Bayda.
Turkish security sources say Turkish and Syrian intelligence services coordinated the operation and that Ural was arrested in Syria on the night of 14 October.
Ural has denied responsibility for the Baniyas killings and the 2013 Reyhanlı bombings in Turkey.
- Who
- Syrian authorities arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural.
- What
- He is accused of involvement in the 2013 mass killings in Baniyas and nearby Bayda. Turkish security sources also link him to the Reyhanlı bombings.
- When
- The arrest was reported on 15 October 2026. Turkish security sources say it took place on the night of 14 October.
- Where
- He was arrested while trying to cross a border. Turkish security sources say he was caught in Syria; the border was not specified by SANA.
- Why
- He is suspected of involvement in the 2013 killings of civilians in Baniyas and Bayda.
Accusers
Mihrac Ural
Responsibility for Baniyas and Bayda
Accusers
Syrian and Turkish sources accuse Ural of responsibility or involvement in the killings.
Mihrac Ural
Ural said Mukaveme Suriye did not kill civilians and called the accusation baseless.
Responsibility for Reyhanlı
Accusers
Turkish security sources and a Turkish prosecutor’s indictment link Ural to the 2013 bombings.
Mihrac Ural
Ural denied that he or his group was behind the attack.
Civilians were killed in Baniyas and nearby Bayda, and bombings in Reyhanlı killed dozens of people.
Turkish security sources say Ural was arrested in Syria while trying to cross a border.
Syrian state media reported Ural’s arrest.
- Known as
- Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural
- Arrest
- 14 October 2026, according to Turkish security sources
- Accused killings
- Baniyas and Bayda, Syria, in 2013
- Reyhanlı bombing
- 11 May 2013; 53 deaths according to İhlas Haber Ajansı and 52 according to BBC Türkçe
3 sources
What people are saying
Mukaveme Suriye never harms civilians. It is a people’s organisation. It fights those who take up arms on the front. The claim that Mukaveme Suriye carried out a massacre is absurd. There is no proof of it.
I could not have the goal of massacring innocent people.